Best Tires for the Audi B8.5 S4 Avant (modified)

I have now completed 9k miles - my fronts are at 3mm treads and rears are at 4mm. I would say everything in my original review stands. I'll be changing out the set when my fronts hit 2mm. I estimated 11k miles out of these, I'd say that's pretty accurate.

The last 2k miles have been completed with a full track suspension setup, with lightweight alloys and a full 2-piece J-hooked racing brake system - under heavy braking the tires give way before the brakes. With the heavily reduced unsprung mass and increased damping performance, I can't provide a direct 1:1 comparison to my initial review. However I feel the steering response is even better, it has excellent precision and feedback - this has come at the expense of increased road noise (with the extra wear), overall I can confidently say this is better that Pilot Sport 4S at the same tread levels.

Fuel economy is worse now than when I first got the tires, I guess this is the tradeoff for excellent grip, I would say definitely more rolling resistance vs PS4S. Ultimately, they are perfect blend between total grip, road feedback/handling and wear characteristics. It is just a shame that the sidewall isn't a bit stiffer, there is an ounce of flex - SC7 seemed to have been firmer, as did PS4S. It could also look a bit better!

The car has seen many speedways on the continent, it is completely planted on the Autobahn, it also dealt with very heavy rain as well as some ice and snow effortlessly - no loss of grip whatsoever, even if accidentally hitting standing water in the dead of the night on an unlit road (though this could be Quattro with Sports Diff). Everything else from my original review stands and I'll be buying these again, unless Michelin brings out the aftermarket Pilot Sport S5 - these are undoubtedly the best UUHP tire available to buy for a passenger car.

I’ve always bought Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (PS4S), on a track-spec BMW 335i and then on my Audi S4 Avant. I tried Continental SportContact7 (SC7), I was blown away by the difference vs PS4S; but only I got 6k miles out of them - the rear treads on 275/30ZR19 cracked and were at 3mm of tread, my front toe settings/suspension setup also caused inner tire balding. So I used PS4S on the S4, I managed 18k miles out of them but always felt they lacked feedback, ultimate grip and progressiveness. The PZ5 came out and after watching the review, I decided to try them. The S4 is stage 1 tuned at 450BHP//550NM with a tastefully modified adaptive suspension (springs, bushings, roll bars and drivetrain inserts) - to test these tires, this review is based on a trip to North Wales and now recently back from the Swiss/Italian Alps, German Autobahns (including a top speed run) and finally the Nurburgring. The car was given hell in a variety of road conditions, albeit mostly hot, dry and twisty - though I was very impressed even in the cold, wet and very wet - they were still very sticky and better than PS4S without question, leagues ahead even (realistically not a even the real competition). Now... these are better than SC7, they’re more progressive and the front and rear axles in my Sport Diff’ed Quattro really felt in synch, it was far more difficult to get the back to step out vs PS4S. These Pirellis overall offer more steering feedback, feel more responsive and also more agile when making inputs at any speed. They're slightly stickier but definitely more comfortable vs SC7. And, after a lap of the Nordschleife they were fine - the SC7 let go earlier for sure (tested in the Scottish Highlands & even more local spirited driving - at least 3000 miles of driving them at ten tenths to prove them). After 2756 miles, the fronts are at 5.9mm and rears at 6mm - giving them a projected range of at least 11000 miles with this manner of driving and assumed higher rolling resistance due to higher temperatures abroad. I’d estimate greater longevity in the UK being daily driven with occasional spirited driving. Highly recommend this tire, definitely my go-to, Pirelli have gotten their act together and taken down the SC7 (I didn’t think this was possible) while also doubling the range? Just a final thing to note - the PZ5 got better after a few hundred miles, they lost the softness and gained a sharpness when it came to the steering, I also felt they required less heat to feel like you were on rails. I am also directly comparing these most recently to PS4S which were worn down to 2mm which, at that tread depth, felt so much sharper vs when they were new.